Chapter Forty-One (פֶּרֶק אַרְבָּעִים וְאֶחָד)

Let us return to our subject, to the secret of the first Ibbur [Impregnation] and the first Katnut [Smallness] (נַחֲזוֹר לְעִנְיָנֵינוּ לְסוֹד עִיבּוּר רִאשׁוֹן וְקַטְנוּת רִאשׁוֹן), that from the Reshimu [Impression] of the Ketarim were made vessels for the Chokhmah, Binah, Da’at of Ze’ir (שֶׁמִן הָרְשִׁימוּ שֶׁל הַכְּתָרִים נַעֲשָׂה כֵּלִים לְחב״ד שֶׁל זְעֵיר), just like a child (כְּמוֹ הַיֶּלֶד), even though he has a head, it is very weak (אַף עַל פִּי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ רֹאשׁ הוּא חַלָּשׁ מְאֹד), and he also has no Da’at until after six years (וְגַם אֵין בּוֹ דַּעַת עַד אַחַר שֵׁשׁ שָׁנִים), the secret of the Ohr Penimi [Inner Light] that comes into them (סוֹד אוֹר פְּנִימִי שֶׁבָּא אֲלֵיהֶם), as will be explained with Heavenly assistance (כְּמוֹ שֶׁיִּתְבָּאֵר בְּסִיַעְתָּא דִּשְׁמַיָּא). And from the remaining aspects of Chesed, Gevurah, Tiferet up to and including Netzach (וּמִשְּׁאָר הַבְּחִינוֹת שֶׁל גְּדוּלָּה גְּבוּרָה תִּפְאֶרֶת עַד נֵצַח וְנֵצַח בִּכְלָל), the rest of the body of Ze’ir Anpin was made (נַעֲשָׂה שְׁאָר הַגּוּף שֶׁל ז״א), in the manner mentioned above (עַל הַדֶּרֶךְ הַנִּזְכָּר לְמַעְלָה), that the most refined and clarified part was selected (שֶׁנִּבְרַר הַיּוֹתֵר זַךְ וּבָרוּר), but Hod, Yesod, and Malkhut remained unrefined until the time of the Yenikah [Nursing] (אַךְ נִשְׁאֲרוּ הוֹד יְסוֹד מַלְכוּת שֶׁלֹּא נִבְרְרוּ עַד זְמַן הַיְנִיקָה). And therefore it is said in the Torah (וְעַל כֵּן נֶאֱמַר בַּתּוֹרָה), “When a woman conceives and bears a male child, she shall be impure for seven days” (אִשָּׁה כִּי תַזְרִיעַ וְיָלְדָה זָכָר וְטָמְאָה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים) (Leviticus 12:2), for at the time of birth, when Ze’ir Anpin emerged from the womb of Imma into the air of the world (כִּי בְּעֵת הַלֵּידָה שֶׁיָּצָא ז״א מִמְּעֵי אִמָּא לַחוּץ לַאֲוִיר הָעוֹלָם), there emerged the remnants of their judgments and excesses (יָצְאוּ שְׁיָרֵי הַדִּינִים וְהַמּוֹתָרוֹת שֶׁלָּהֶם), which are the refuse from what remained (שֶׁהֵם הַפְּסוֹלֶת מִמַּה שֶׁנִּשְׁאָר), that does not receive rectification and sweetening (שֶׁאֵינוֹ מְקַבֵּל תִּקּוּן וּמִתּוּק), from what remained in Malkhut (מִמַּה שֶׁנִּשְׁאָר בְּמַלְכוּת), within each one of its points (שֶׁבְּכָל אַחַת מִנְּקוּדוֹתֶיהָ), and this is the secret of menstrual blood (וְהוּא סוֹד דַּם נִדּוּת), from seven points corresponding to the first seven points that were shattered (מִז׳ נְקוּדוֹת כְּנֶגֶד שֶׁבַע נְקוּדוֹת רִאשׁוֹנוֹת שֶׁנִּשְׁבְּרוּ). When we reckon the points of Yesod as two (כְּשֶׁנַּחְשׁוֹב נְקוּדוֹת יְסוֹד לִשְׁתַּיִם), as explained above in the secret of the shattering (כִּדְלְעֵיל בְּסוֹד הַשְּׁבִירָה), its upper half and its lower half (חֶצְיוֹ הָעֶלְיוֹן וְחֶצְיוֹ הַתַּחְתּוֹן), and therefore “she shall be impure for seven days” (וְעַל כֵּן וְטָמְאָה שִׁבְעַת יָמִים) (Leviticus 12:2), and for a female she shall be impure fourteen days (וְהַנְּקֵבָה תִּטְמָא י״ד יָמִים) (Leviticus 12:5). Because for the formation of the Partzuf [Configuration] of Malkhut (לְפִי שֶׁלְּצוֹרֶךְ הִתְהַוּוּת פַּרְצוּף מַלְכוּת), it was necessary to refine from the seven Malkhuyot within these seven (הֻצְרַךְ לְבָרֵר מֵהַז׳ מַלְכֻיּוֹת שֶׁיֵּשׁ בְּאֵלּוּ הַשִּׁבְעָה), and together with the seven lower ones within the final point, which itself is entirely Malkhut (וְעִם שֶׁבַע הַתַּחְתּוֹנוֹת שֶׁבַּנְּקוּדָה הָאַחֲרוֹנָה שֶׁהִיא עַצְמָהּ כֻּלָּהּ מַלְכוּת), they are fourteen (הֵם י״ד), but in her first ones there is no impurity at all (אֲבָל בָּרִאשׁוֹנוֹת דִּידָהּ אֵין שׁוּם טֻמְאָה), and therefore the impurity is fourteen days (וְלָכֵן הַטֻּמְאָה י״ד יוֹם). And afterward, at the time of the Yenikah [Nursing] (וְאַחַר כָּךְ בִּזְמַן הַיְנִיקָה), when the refuse that cannot receive rectification has already been pushed away (שֶׁכְּבָר נִדְחָה הַפְּסוֹלֶת הַבִּלְתִּי מְקַבֵּל תִּקּוּן), just as in a nursing woman the blood that would have become her menstrual blood is transformed into milk (כְּמוֹ שֶׁהַמֵּינֶקֶת הַדָּם שֶׁהָיָה רָאוּי לִהְיוֹת נִדּוּת שֶׁלָּהּ מִתְהַפֵּךְ לְחָלָב), so too the judgments of Hod, Yesod, and Malkhut were refined during the Yenikah [Nursing] and sweetened and became milk (כָּךְ הַדִּינִין שֶׁל הוֹד יְסוֹד מַלְכוּת נִתְבָּרְרוּ בִּינִיקָה וְנִתְמַתְּקוּ וְנַעֲשׂוּ חָלָב). And all of this took place after the son and daughter emerged from the Supernal Imma (וְהַכֹּל הָיָה אַחַר יְצִיאַת בְּרָא וּבַרְתָּא מִן אִמָּא עִלָּאָה), for with the opening of the womb Ze’ir Anpin and his Nukvah emerged (כִּי בִּפְתִיחַת הָרֶחֶם יָצְאוּ זְעֵיר וְנוּקְבֵיהּ), and murky waters came forth and fell (וְיָצְאוּ וְנָפְלוּ מַיִם עֲכוּרִין), and the judgments that do not receive rectification, and the excesses, fell below into the Nukvah of the Great Deep (וְהַדִּינִין שֶׁאֵינָם מְקַבְּלִים תִּקּוּן וְהַמּוֹתָרוֹת נָפַל לְמַטָּה בְּנוּקְבָא דִּתְהוֹמָא רַבָּא), and the good remained by itself and the evil by itself (וְנִשְׁאַר הַטּוֹב לְבַדּוֹ וְהָרַע לְבַדּוֹ), up to this point (עַד כָּאן), is the first Ibbur [Impregnation] and the first Katnut [Smallness] (הוּא עִיבּוּר רִאשׁוֹן וְקַטְנוּת רִאשׁוֹן).